Sports: April 2009 Archives

So, #44 formally congratulated the women's national basketball champion UConn Huskies at the White House. Had to be quite a thrill for the entire team to meet Barack Obama. Sounds like the prez took delight in showing off the new White House hoops court as well.

The White House better start making out some save-the-date invites. There's a good chance Geno Auriemma's crew is back at the Big House again in 2010.

As I mentioned a previous blog, there's really only two more things left for UConn's Hall of Fame Coach Geno Auriemma to accomplish -- be head coach of an Olympic basketball team & coach a men's college basketball team.

Looks like he's nailed the first one. Can the second one be far behind?

Is it sexist to suggest Geno Auriemma should take his considerable coaching skills and take the challenge of coaching a men's college basketball team?

Some of you have suggested that I was being sexist in my previous blog post. A few points:

UConn or Tennessee have won the women's national basketball championship in TEN of the last 14 years. In the men's game there have been 11 different champs in that same timeframe.

There is no question that the men's game is a more challenging level to coach because of the depth of talent and the number of elite teams to compete against. To deny that is just being naive or in denial.

That shouldn't take away from what Auriemma and his team accomplished. He has built a powerhouse team, with smart, team-oriented players who have brought great pride and recognition to CT, no question. But there are other coaching challenges out there for Geno, if he wants it.

And he should. He's a competitor.

I'd like to see him do two more things:

Be the Head Coach of an Olympic team -- men or women.

Give coaching men's college basketball a shot.

If Jim Calhoun was in his mid-50s and had 6 national championships on his resume, including 3 undefeated seasons, I'd certainly suggest that he think about coaching at the next more challenging level -- the pros.

This is not about sexism, but putting the pom-poms down for one moment and recognizing that Geno Auriemma is a rare coaching talent, one who can put himself in the unprecedented position of winning national championships in men's and women's basketball.

With the UConn men officially out of the NCAA tournament, and an NCAA investigation brewing into whether the basketball program committed recruiting violations, expect the speculation to rachet up about whether Coach Jim Calhoun will or should retire.

I believe the coach would have called it quits if he won his third national championship. In fact, I actually heard him say he would when he was interviewed on the New York-based Mike and The Mad Dog radio show last year.

The Hall of Fame coach turns 67 in May and has had health problems. But we all know he's a competitive and prideful guy. He's not going to want to exit after 23 years at UConn with the perception that the NCAA chased him out.

And next years' team has Jerome Dyson, Kemba Walker and Stanley Robinson returning, among others. So, the Huskies will still be competitive.

Whatever happens with the NCAA, Calhoun will have a tough decision to make. Either step aside and let his program move in a new direction, or stick it out and prepare UConn for another rigorous year of Big East basketball and one more run for a title.

Plaxico Burress was a talented football player, but an obviously troubled guy who became a distraction. The Giants did the right thing in releasing him. It sends a message that no matter how talented you are, if you're a chronic knucklehead, it won't be tolerated. At 31, Burress will get another opportunity in the NFL. But if he hasn't changed his ways, the next team will dump him too.

Here's something John McCain and I can agree on: Jack Johnson was screwed over by the U.S. government in the early 1900s. The only "crime'' the pioneering former heavyweight boxing champion of the world committed was that he was a Black man caught with a White woman in an era where that wasn't deemed acceptable.

A pardon has long been overdue for the deceased champ. And Johnny Mac -- like me, a big boxing fan - is asking Barack Obama to give him one.